Majogami

When I first saw the news for Majogami, I really wasn't sure what to expect. The designs looked really unique and subsequent videos suggest a Metroidvania adventure with paper adversaries, and that seems to have been pretty much what we have, but with so much charm and graphical innovation that I'm still impressed just thinking about it. For a 25th Anniversary project, it really delivers.

In a similar manner to Atelier Yumia, you start the game in a battle with what appears to be the main antagonist, only to be defeated, your memory wiped and cast into the wilderness. You awaken to find that you're a paper witch called Shiroha - a paper bookmark identifies himself as your father, Shiori, but after playing Child of Light I don't trust family members!

What follows is a Metroidvania with a gorgeous aesthetic - Shiroha's blade can cut through enemies like, well, paper - specifically it can cut through multiple enemies by invoking a blade attack that flits you between multiple enemies at a time, laving a trail of dispatched enemies in your wake. It's tremendously satisfying. Granted, I was mashing buttons early on, but the nuance of the controls don't take long to materialise and combat gets strategic very quickly.

The graphic design in this game is unique and stunningly beautiful

As you search around, you'll discover boxes that can create new ledges, treasure boxes, conversations (seedlings) that unveil more of the story and revival items strewn across the landscape, making it well worth exploring every inch of the screen to unearth as much as you can. You can trade konoha (money) for goods, new abilities, items and buffs in Uyuha's mysterious store "Etcetera". Just selecting a category is met by a wonderful little animation of the shopkeeper dramatically opening a scroll for you to browse. There's so much life to the game it's infectious.

Uyuha's store is a little island of goodies - Uyuha is so much fun to trade with!

Once you've found your way through a level, you'll have to tame the boss, one of the many Craft Witches that block your way. Each battle is split into two halves - the standard attacks come first, but once you knock them back enough, they'll unleash their Noxious Hellflame attacks, which are far more powerful and harder to dodge. You're not powerless though, as you have your own ultimate attack called Celestial Serenade, which can be used to finish off tough opponents or even counter their ultimate attacks. It makes each battle very tactical - once I had managed to get a full handle of Shiroha, it was a blast taking on new witches, especially given how inventive and disturbing they are!

Battles look insane

I don't want the review to turn into a game manual, but the amount of levelling up you can partake in isn't limited to the Celestial Serenade - as the game progresses you'll gain new powers, enhancing your abilities, with options to counter using Deadlock, block using sigils, utilise Ascension to maximise your powers and even transform entirely with Astralization. There's so much to discover, utilise and play with that the game becomes a treasure hunt for the next insane new attack or ability that can help to even the odds. 

Rarely have I been so pleasantly taken aback simply by the graphical flair exhibited by a game, but Majogami is absolutely enchanting. From the map taking the form of book pages filling out as you progress and regain your memories to the character designs themselves, there's a lot to take in - it helps that the gameplay feels so assured - the developers really know what they're doing here, ensuring that the graphical shine is backed up by a solid game underneath. Yes, it's bloody challenging at times, but the mechanics coupled with the incredibly strong story really bring together a game that's rather special. 

Everything about the world, from exploring to the characters that live within it, is utterly enchanting. We've been blessed with some incredible indie games this year, from surprise hits like Silly Polly Beast to Hyke: Northern Lights, and I really didn't think anything could better Silly Polly Beast for atmosphere, but I think Majogami just about beats it (though to be fair any comparison for Polly is a fantastic achievement given it was created by one man). I've had a blast with this game and Shiroha's story will sit with me for quite some time. 

A physical edition is available from Japan, but being an Inti Creates game it wouldn't surprise me if one of the Limited physical companies doesn't get hold of this and provide a special edition of some kind. In the meantime you can order the Japanese special edition directly from Play Asia (this is an affiliate link).